Process of making buckles.



No. 648,357. Patented Apr. 24, I900. A. D. FIELD.

PROCESS OF MAKING BUCKLES. (Application fll'd Dec. 4, 1899.) (No Model.)

W TNESSES: INVENTOR" I /hwgmm M ATTORNEYS 11m: nonms Pzrsns PHUTOL1TNO..WASNINHTON. n, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT D. FIELD, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SHOEHARDWARE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PROCESS OF MAKING BUCKLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 648,357, dated April24, 1900.

Original application filed January 14, 1898, Serial No. 666,618. Dividedand this application filed December 4, 1899. Serial No. 739,1?4. (Nomodel.)

tion of the buckles to submit them to several.

operations in assembling the parts or in uniting the tongues to thebody-plates. It has also been found impossible heretofore to produce abuckle which would have any considerable tension of the spring exertedupon the tongue to hold it rigidly against movement when the tongue isin the locked position and to have the tongue relieved of all tension ofthe spring, so as to be adapted to vibrate freely when the tongue is inthe unlocked position, which are features greatly desired inshoe-buckles, for reasons which will hereinafter appear.

The object of my invention is to overcome the disadvantages heretoforefound in making buckles and to provide a simple process wherebyefficient buckles can be manufactured at small cost and wherein theparts can be assembled at one operation.

To these ends my invention consists in the process of making buckles,which is hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In order that a thorough understanding of the process may be arrived at,I make reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein 0 like referencecharacters designate corresponding parts in various views, and where-1n- Figure 1 is a plan view of a buckle with its cooperatingfastening-loop made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view of the same, showing the tongue in theunlocked position. Fig. 3

is a longitudinal sectional View on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, showing theparts in the locked position. Fig. 4: is a face view of the buckle withthe fastening-loop removed.

In the drawings the body-plate A is preferably, though not necessarily,made of a single piece and is struck up or formed with a central springa, separated from the side arms 5 5 b by the slits c. The entire'centralspring ct is preferably depressed below the upper surface of thebody-plate, as indicated at (1, so as to throw the spring below theupper surface of the buckle and not to present any abutment or contactedge which will extend into the path of the fastening-loop 'B when thelatter is moved in the act of locking and unlocking the buckle. The sidearms I) alford bearings for the pivots of the vibrating tongue C. Thebearings are preferably formed by striking up a pocket or recess e ineach of the arms I) and turning the free ends of the arms back uponthemselves, thus forming pockets which are adapted to surround thepivotsf of the hooklike take-up tongue 0 and prevent the tongue frombeing disconnected from the body-plate.

It will be observed that by forming the bearings or pivots of thetake-up tongue in the manner described the pockets e are extended belowthe lower surface of the body-plate and below the lower face of thecentral spring a, so that the axis of the pivots of the tongue is belowthe central spring a, notwithstanding said spring is depressed below theupper sur- 8o face of the body-plate. The tongue 0 is provided with afinger g, which radiates from the axis of the pivots f. This fingerextends toward the inner portion or lip of the tongue in such a mannerthat the said finger will be 8 5 out of contact with and relieved fromall strain of the spring Ct when the tongue is in the releasingposition. (Represented in Fig. 2.) In this figure it will be observedthat the tongue is entirely free to vibrate from the full-line positionto the dotted-line position before any tension is exerted by the centralspring a. This enables the wearer of the buckle to readily place thefastening-loop B over the end of the tongue and to move the tongue tothe position represented in Fig. 3 to tighten the parts and to lock thebuckle by exerting but little pressure, while the tongue 0 is. entirelyfree from the strain of the central spring a when the tongue is in theopen position. It will be observed that the opposite is true when thetongue is in the locked position. (Represented in Fig. 3.) In

this, position the central spring exerts its greater force to maintainthe tongue against movement, and no movement of the tongue can takeplace in this position without overcoming the tension of the spring.

The supporting portion h of the take-u tongue 0 extends forward of thepivots thereof when the tongue is closed, so that when strain is exertedthereon by the fasteningloop'it will be a drawing'strain in almostdirect line with. the pivots of the tongue.

Fromthe foregoing it will be seen that there are many structuraladvantages of a buckle made in accordance with my invention, but that inaddition to these structural advantages there are advantages in themannfacture by which I am enabled to produce a complete them.

spring.

better buckle at considerably less cost than heretofore. Inshoe-buckles-heretofore made .it has been found necessary to submit thebuckles to some four or five and in some cases to as many as tenoperations in order to Thus itwas necessary, among other things, toassemble the parts while the tonguewas under pressure of the springafter the hardening-or tempering of the It will be readily understoodthat any attempt to temper the spring in aposition when it-exertspressurewould result in the loss of the pressure thus exerted when themetal is heated to a sufficient degree to bend,

sothat an insufficient amountof pressure or .alack of all pressure isafterward obtained when the buckle is in use, and the tongue thereforecould, not be held secure against movement in the 7 locked position.'Such' buckles would therefore be unreliable and in-' eflicient. Inaccordance with my process and the invention disclosed herein I amenabled to assemble the parts with the tongue in the position shown inFig. 2, wherein there is no vtension whatever exerted by the as yetuntempered spring a. ,are turned so .that the pockets 6 will inclose Theends of the arms I) the pivotsf of the tongue. I now temper the wish toharden. --body-plate A and its spring at of tempering metal. Thetongue'O, I prefer to make of nontempering metal, but it could also bemade of tempering metal. The essential point of the. invention is thetempering of the unstrained spring after theparts are assembled, andthis constitutes a most important feature of my invention. It willbeclear that by. assembling the parts before tempering I am able tobendthe body-plate A so as to form the pivot-receiving pockets therein,which I could not properly do after spring-tempering. By tempering theparts after assembling the same I am able to have the spring a of onepiece with the-body-plate.

The present application is a division of my application, Serial No.666,618, filed January Having describedmy invention, what I claim, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. The process of making hinged springbuckles which consists in firstforming, assembling and securing together the bodyplate and tongue andin then tempering the spring of said body-plate. 2. The process ofmaking hinged springbuckles which consists in first'for1ning,assemblingand securing together the body-plate and tongue and in then temperingsaid bodyplate and its spring.

- 3. The process of making buckles which consists in first assemblingand securing together thebody-plate'and tongue and in then 1 temperingthe spring of said body-plate when the spring is free from tension.ALBERT, D. FIELD.

, 'VVitnesses: V

CH RLES E. SMITH, BELLE PE-YSER.

